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In the mid-1990s, the Shocks ended semi-retirement to open the first UCC TotalHome® franchise in Canada. They fully retired two years later, but ended it again to open another UCC TotalHome® franchise in Victoria, British Columbia this year.
Previous to UCC TotalHome, the Shocks had spent several years running their own sales seminar business, and by 1994, they were ready to get into another line of work. Bill read about UCC TotalHome® franchise opportunities in a franchise magazine while they were trying to pinpoint the kind of work they wanted to do.
“I thought, ‘That looks good, but there’s probably a catch somewhere,’” says Bill.
He requested more information, and after they watched a video explaining the business, the Shocks were hooked. They spent time at a UCC TotalHome® franchise in Seattle, Washington before visiting the Corporate Support Center in Merrillville, Indiana. Finally, they opened Canada’s first UCC TotalHome® franchise in Calgary, Alberta in 1996.
Needless to say, being the pioneer franchise in Canada wasn’t easy. Before they could open, the Shocks had several obstacles to overcome -- such as duty, brokerage fees, and finding a location.
Eventually, the ball started rolling, and two years later, the Shocks qualified for an incentive for franchise owners in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico based on their center's membership productivity. In 1998, they sold the thriving franchise to their daughter Teresa Shock and retired -- but the Shocks didn’t stay retired for long.
“We just traveled around,” says Bill. “But what happened is we really got bored; we were too young to retire. So we went hunting for another business venture.”
The Shocks ended their retirement by helping out at UCC TotalHome® of Edmonton, Alberta. After nine months, they decided if they were going to work for UCC TotalHome, they were going to open another franchise.
On May 30, 2000 the Shocks hosted the grand opening at their new franchise, UCC TotalHome® of Greater Victoria, British Columbia. Compared to the challenges they had opening their first franchise, the Shock's say opening Greater Victoria was a piece of cake.
“I’m really happy to be back in the business. I really enjoy it,” says Donna. “I feel challenged, and I feel that every day is a new day in this business.”
Meanwhile, Teresa Shock continues to keep UCC TotalHome® of Calgary one of the top-producing franchises on a regular basis.
And the family connections don’t stop there. The Shocks’ cousin Peter Ruetz owns the Greater Vancouver, British Columbia franchise with partner Steve Pippy, while cousin Greg Ruetz owns the Waterloo, Ontario franchise with partner Wayne Budd.
The Ruetzs got involved with UCC TotalHome® after their parents visited the Shocks’ Calgary, Alberta franchise.
“It’s neat for me to have all my relatives involved in UCC TotalHome,” says Donna.
Both Bill and Donna enjoy giving presentations at the center and get heavily involved in the marketing aspects of the business. According to Bill, they also have enjoyed attending the regional meetings, rubbing elbows with other Franchise Owners and exchanging ideas.
“Succeeding in business requires your full effort,” says Donna. “Whether it’s a UCC TotalHome® franchise or a shoe store, you have to give it your all.” Bill agreed, adding that persistence and a lot of “people power” are keys to success with a UCC TotalHome® franchise.
“Dedicating yourself to getting a franchise off the ground has its rewards,” says Bill. He adds that it usually takes a new business about two years to get off the ground, but it only took about a month to get his UCC TotalHome® franchise going.
Bill also recommends that those looking to buy a UCC TotalHome® franchise do it with a spouse or partner. “The amount of work hours required at the start of the business is dramatic,” he says. “There’s too much effort needed to actually run a center, and unless you’re just a super-organized person, one person can’t do it all. I’ve been involved in a couple other franchises myself, and neither of those offered as much financial reward as UCC TotalHome.”
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Revision r1.1 - 27 May 2006 - 05:22 by EliMantel
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